Cambodian passenger train back on track after years-long hiatus

PHNOM PENH: Cambodia’s sole passenger train resumed a regular weekend service Saturday after being suspended for years, with Prime Minister Hun Sen climbing aboard to inaugurate the first trip. The Southeast Asian country has more than 600 kilometers (375 miles) of track extending from its northern border with Thailand down to the southern coast, but decades of war and neglect have left vast stretches of the network damaged. “The train and railway were almost totally destroyed by war more than 40 years ago,” Hun Sen wrote on Facebook—a forum the strongman has embraced with gusto in recent months. “Because our country is now at peace, we have the opportunity to rebuild our transport infrastructure,” he added.